'Hitman: Contracts' showed the series going downhill. 'Hitman: Blood Money' shows the series running uphill...fast.
The latest in the “Games your mother wouldn’t want you to play” series has actually been making headlines for the past two years. In 2004, a religious watchdog group declared the game, which probably had about less than a level complete, was devastating our nation’s children. Good thing I don’t have kids, or I’d be killing them by the second just writing this review.
Agent 47, the world’s deadliest cloned assassin (and the one man you don’t want to call “Mr. Clean”), has found himself in an unfortunate predicament: He no longer is the hunter, he is the hunted. Thankfully for you, he’s still collecting blood money. As the story begins, we find that Agent 47 is the target of a wealthy and powerful individual who wants to prevent future clone assassins from being produced and one day ending his precious life. The gameplay is still the memorable “go out, sneak around and creatively kill a dozen people” routine, but nevertheless, you’ll want to keep an eye out for some special agents looking to end the clone ancestry forever.
The setting is entirely on American soil, so expect to find 47 in some familiar locations such as Las Vegas, Washington D.C. or a suburban neighborhood in La Jolla, California (a little too familiar for me). The game features over a dozen levels, many of which are some of the most interactive and well-designed levels you’ll find in both the “Hitman” series and single player stealth games. Aside from two Mississippi-based levels that are as fun as “E.T.” for the Atari, “Hitman: Blood Money” makes the previous “Hitman” installment’s levels look like a joke.
The sheer magnitude of the levels in “Hitman: Blood Money” surpasses any past “Hitman” title. At last, AI critics can applaud a believable environment that feels more uncomfortable and nerve-racking than ever. The mass-scale of the levels can also add a great deal of excitement if you are seven floors away from your target as he gets into a perfect “Assassination-Ready Position.” “Hitman: Blood Money” is one of those games where you’ll want to tell extremely memorable gameplay stories even to your grandmother. “No, no, Grandma. I hid the bomb in his briefcase, but I couldn’t detonate it!” With a wide array of paths to take and what may at times seem like a world of limitless possibilities, the game has defined next-gen single player games and the replay value that should accompany them.
Most of the new features are reminiscent of the most acclaimed game from the series, “Hitman 2: Silent Assassin” in that there is a weapon system. This time, however, there are upgrades for the main weapons, such as scopes or silencers. The upgrades are purchased with money that you gain from being as discreet and Catwoman-like as possible when playing the missions. This can mean not forgetting to hide bodies, not getting caught on film by cameras or as simple as not going into the White House shooting up every Marine in sight (trust me, not a good idea). This, however, raises the question of “Why would I want shotgun or assault rifle upgrades when I’m trying to be quiet and practically non-existent?” Surprisingly, the game does still promote stealth. The upgrades are meant mainly for when you are finished with the game and want to go back and have fun as Rambo 47.
The game also promotes stealth through a notoriety system that tracks how well known you are by the media. The less you’re seen and the less witnesses that survive, the lower your notoriety and consequently, the more you should pat yourself on the back. Unfortunately, a lot of the new features are cool to look at and brag about to your cat, but lacking in any impact on the game.
If there’s anything the “Hitman” series has forgotten to do in its past three titles, it would definitely be the “little things.” The addition of simple features like the way Agent 47 conceals his weapons behind his back ever so slightly when approaching someone, being able to fight hand-to-hand or the ability to use someone as a human shield make the game so much more realistic and exhilarating during close-calls. Knowing that dumpsters and fridges will always be nearby to hide bodies proves to be quite helpful as well, but seems too disturbing even to write.
As for those wondering about pixels and environmental sound effects, no “Hitman” title has ever looked or sounded this impressive before. The requirements are a bit demanding for PC gamers (about 256 MB video card at least), but the XBOX 360’s version is just as smooth and vivid to watch as a PC running the game on full settings.
The soundtrack is, as always worth the price tag alone (although it’s been difficult for the last two to stand up to “Hitman 2: Silent Assasin”). Composer Jesper Kyd never ceases to impress me with his epic horns and eerie “Godfather”-like themes that reference the original “Hitman” soundtracks with such creativity. By the time the surprising and ear-to-ear grinning ending level closes, the soundtrack will be stuck in your ears for a long time.
Above all new features, additions and technical babble in “Hitman: Blood Money,” there’s one aspect of the “Hitman” series that finally comes to life: The art of death. As gamers, we all have different reasons for taking on the role of assassin; it could be the joy of planning the most perfect hit or the adrenaline rush we get when taking out a mobster and then walking out his front door. But I think we all see its underlying artistic side. The way the game portrays death always seems to make it feel like an art, a craft and more than just a click of a mouse or push of a button. When the top executive of a company is on his hands and knees begging you not to take his life, what do you do? The silence is, in a sense, beautiful and it’s more shocking than ever to see such a medium of entertainment convey such powerful themes.
And while no “Hitman” game will ever be like the brilliantly produced “Hitman 2,” seeing such improvements finally take aim has made the series much more satisfying. If “Tetris DS” has been killing you lately, let Agent 47 do some killing for you; you won’t regret it.